BYD $1211 (-0,58 %) has teamed up with Aeon to sell cars in the Japanese retail group's 30 or so shopping centers and department stores across Japan by the end of this year.
Aeon will handle the orders and contracts while working with BYD's Japanese dealers to showcase the cars and facilitate sales.
Aeon is also offering subsidies of over JPY 100,000 (USD 660) for BYD models, with rebates reaching up to JPY 1 million (USD 6,590) when combined with national and local government incentives.
The BYD Dolphin, an electric hatchback that serves as the automaker's main model in Japan, costs about 2.9 million yen, but with the subsidies, the price can drop to about 2 million yen (13,185 USD). In comparison, the model sells for between 99,800 and 129,800 CNY (14,000 and 18,130 USD) in China, according to BYD's website.
In addition, Aeon plans to import and distribute BYD models independently in the future. The retail giant operates 164 shopping centers in Japan and has around 2,500 charging stations for electric vehicles in 374 stores across the country.
The new retail alliance model could fundamentally change the traditional Japanese automotive market, where domestic manufacturers and their affiliated dealers have historically dominated new car sales and after-sales services, and potentially create a new sales paradigm for Chinese electric vehicle brands in Japan.
According to the Japan Automobile Importers Association, BYD's sales in Japan tripled to 802 units last month from a year earlier, accounting for a record share of about 20 percent of imported pure electric vehicle sales in Japan. However, Japanese automakers continue to lead the domestic EV market, with Nissan Motor posting strong sales figures with the Sakura, Leaf and Ariya models.
Japanese models maintained their dominance in total vehicle sales in the country in the six months to September 30, with Honda Motor's N-Box $7267 (-0,53 %) Honda Motor's N-Box in first place, followed by Suzuki Motor's Spacia $7269 (+1,67 %) and Toyota Motor's Yaris $7203 (+0,82 %)according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association for the first half of fiscal 2025.
